Reba Marie Harper

Reba Marie (Coverston) Harper, 94, of Omaha, NE, died on May 19, 2022, at CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island, NE. A celebration of life service will be at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31 at Jaynes Street Community Church of God at 7534 Jaynes Street in Omaha, NE. Visitation with family present will be at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service. Interment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Omaha.



Reba, who went by her middle name, Marie, was born on January 16, 1928 in the family home near Dilbeck, VA to Perry Garnett and Mary Margaret (Burke) Coverston. Her mother passed away in 1938 and her father married Alva Virginia Shiley in 1942. Marie grew up in Fort Valley, VA, and graduated from Strasburg High School in Strasburg, VA in 1945. Following high school, she attended Bob Jones College in Cleveland, TN, before spending two years traveling the United States teaching Bible School. On October 31, 1948, Marie was united in marriage to Jack Richard Harper of Omaha, NE, in Maurertown, VA. Marie and Jack had met at a church conference in Illinois. Following the wedding, the couple lived in Omaha, NE, until Jack’s job took them to Peoria, IL. After two years in Peoria, Jack and Marie returned to Omaha where they lived until moving to Autumn Pointe Assisted Living in Fort Calhoun, NE in 2014. Jack passed away in 2015 and in 2018 Marie moved to Grand Island, NE to be closer to her son. She was living at Tiffany Square Care Center in Grand Island at the time of her death.



Marie was a member of Fort Valley Church of God in Seven Fountains, VA and Jaynes Street Community Church of God in Omaha, NE, where she was a Sunday school teacher and member of the choir. She also served as a deaconess at the church and for years arranged for flowers to be sent to church families. She enjoyed ceramics, music, travel, camping, sewing, crocheting, and most of all spending time with her family.



Survivors include her son, James (Judi) Harper of Grand Island, NE and her daughter Patricia (Larry) Bleich of Hickory, NC; grandchildren Jodi Harper of Mission, KS; Jason (Megan) Harper of Tucson, AZ; Jami Harper of Phoenix, AZ; Rachel Bleich of Boone, NC; and Rebecca Bleich of Mocksville, NC; and great-grandson, Matthew Harper of Tucson. She is also survived by her half-brothers Robert (Florence) Coverstone of Fort Valley, VA, and John (Tabitha) Coverstone of Florala, AL, and her brother-in-law Michael (Patty) Painter of Strasburg, VA. In addition to her husband, Marie was preceded in death by her parents; infant sister; step-mother; half-sister, JoAnn Coverstone Painter; and granddaughter, Jill Harper.